2006 book 30

noel streatfeild's ballet shoes
my nostalgia kick continues with ballet shoes, streatfeild's first--and arguably best--children's book (not that the rest aren't good, just some of them seem formulaic after this one). anyway, this story, originally published in 1936, revolves around three adopted sisters. when their family falls into a financial decline, the girls are enrolled in a performing arts academy, so they can earn money as child actors and dancers. the eldest, pauline, is a fine actress, and little posy was born to dance, but the middle girl, petrova, longs to be a pilot but feels obliged to perform to earn money for the family. such drama! actually, i love these characters--petrova was always my favorite, probably b/c i hated ballet classes too--and their story is a sweet and heartwarming one. great reading for those chilly days when it's better to be curled up on the couch underneath a hand-knitted afghan.